The wait is over for the Ducks and center Mason McTavish, who agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $42 million Saturday.

That signing comes more than a week after training camp opened, at which point McTavish, last season’s leading goal scorer (22) and power-play goal scorer (6), was back home in Ottawa training on his own. He and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes had been the final A-list restricted free agents to remain unsigned.

McTavish, 22, was drafted third overall in 2021 and won gold at the U18 and U20 levels with Canada. As a Duck, his best play came last season as the Ducks grasped strings at the fringe of a playoff race. They’ve missed the playoffs in seven straight campaigns, the longest drought in the Western Conference.

They are banking on emergent talents

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